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@smiletobefree

Joined 8 May 2020 · 57 posts

A film-making stamp collector, interested in natural health and well being and happy to write about all and everything that seems interesting.

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@smiletobefree

The Korea Stamp Society’s Seal of Approval *First published on the Korea Stamp Society's website on 18th February 2021 -* koreastampsociety.org https://koreastampsociety.org/ Throughout the history seals have adorned letters and manuscripts. Whether wax or paper, this simple practical device has been utilised as a messenger in its own right, demonstrating power and status, highlighting a worthy cause or sending a seasonal greeting (see the famous TB Christmas seals). The seal and its cinderella cousin have a justified standing in the field of postal history and a well-earned place in the hearts of many collectors. The Korea Stamp Society has taken the exciting decision to join this wonderful tradition with the issuing of two miniature sheets of KSS seals. *Figure 1: KSS seal “souvenir sheet” type A. This sheet contains 6 labels showing the (current) official KSS banner.* What began as a casual comment by our then KSS Chair, Ivo Spanjersberg, over the course of the next year developed into a wonderful project and being part of this was truly like being involved in the early days of stamp design and printing. The knocking backwards and forwards of potential ideas and designs, the investigation of printing layouts, different perforation options and whether there were companies out there that could actually product the sheets in the end anyway. Finally, a number of options presented themselves. The first but most difficult was to produce actual postage stamps, designed by the KSS and printed in South Korea via their postal service’s customisable stamp scheme (see the “My Own Stamps” on the KSS website). Although this was a very attractive option, in practice it would be quite costly and, before we could proceed, it would require a South Korean residential address and bank account. *Figure 2: KSS seal “souvenir sheet” type B. This sheet contains a total of 6 labels in 2 different designs. One design is the same as the 6 labels in the type A sheet, the other label is a representation of a Korean Christmas seal card from the 1930s* Therefore this option was not really viable and the ‘cinderella’ (non-postal validity) option was the way forward. We were then faced with a choice of producers. The type of perforation (comb, line, etc.) turned out to be critical as it determined the nature of the final design. In the end it was decided that for now a design based on a more traditional linear perforation would be the best way forward. The seals have been produced by the German company “Yourstamps”. *Figure 3: Before cutting out both types of souvenir sheets the sheets are first printed on A4. We decided to also offer such “printer’s sheets” to KSS members and others interested in this type of sheet. It comes in two forms, one uncut and still without perforations and one uncut but with the perforations done. These two sheets are effectively the first two production steps of 1. printing on A4 sized paper and 2. perforating as required. Note the unperforated printer’s sheet is slightly larger than the perforated sheet. That’s because the unperforated sheet is 100% A4, while the perforation machine requires the A4 sheet to be slightly smaller in size. Therefore the perforated version has already gone through that particular step.* Based on one of Korea’s 1930’s Christmas seals and incorporating the present KSS logo, here are the two final designs and we hope that you like them. They are available for sale through our Delcampe page as: https://www.delcampe.net/en_GB/collectables/store/KoreaStampSociety “souvenir sheets”: we have created 130 copies of each type, type A and type B, both containing six seals of two different designs; “printer’s sheets”: the uncut A4 sized sheets used to create the two different sheets are also available. There are 20 of these sheets available with the perforations in the A4 sheet (but the sheets uncut) and 10 of the same A4 sheets but without any perforations done. Check the KSS Delcampe shop for current prices including post and packaging to your address. https://www.delcampe.net/en_GB/collectables/store/KoreaStampSociety *Figure 3: Before cutting out both types of souvenir sheets the sheets are first printed on A4. We decided to also offer such “printer’s sheets” to KSS members and others interested in this type of sheet. It comes in two forms, one uncut and still without perforations and one uncut but with the perforations done. These two sheets are effectively the first two production steps of 1. printing on A4 sized paper and 2. perforating as required. Note the unperforated printer’s sheet is slightly larger than the perforated sheet. That’s because the unperforated sheet is 100% A4, while the perforation machine requires the A4 sheet to be slightly smaller in size. Therefore the perforated version has already gone through that particular step.* *Figure 4: After perforating but before cutting the printer’s sheet looks like this from the back. The middle row of seals is actually where the cut will be, effectively these are not seals but the lower resp. upper part of the souvenir sheets.* ***Please note that these seals are not valid for postage in any country in the world! These seals are meant as souvenirs only and are not meant to indicate any opinion in any form with regards to the political situation in/around the Korean peninsula.*** *First published on the Korea Stamp Society's website* *koreastampsociety.org* *on 18th February 2021 -* koreastampsociety.org/2021/02/18/the-korea-stamp-societys-seal-of-approval-2  https://koreastampsociety.org/ https://koreastampsociety.org/2021/02/18/the-korea-stamp-societys-seal-of-approval-2/

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@smiletobefree

"Be safe but do not be afraid" - Richard Whelan - www.rjwhelan.co.nz

@smiletobefree

Mandatory Vaccination Debate Announced as UK Parliament Anti COVID-19 Vaccine Petition hits 300k Since my original post regarding the UK Parliamentary petition calling for assurances from the UK Government that no direct or indirect restrictions would be imposed on those who refuse to take any vaccine introduced for the COVID-19 virus; the numbers signing this petition has continued to rise at an ever increasing rate. Original posted upon the UK’s Parliamentary Petitions website on the 4th August 2020 (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/323442), within days it achieved the 10,000 signatures needed to require a response from the UK Government. This response was slow in coming and it was another 36 days before the Ministry of Health and Social Security published a response. A response that failed to address any of the concerns outlined by the petition. (See; https://read.cash/@smiletobefree/uk-parliamentary-anti-covid-19-vaccination-petition-is-now-receiving-145-new-names-an-hour-03450863). The signatures continued to pour in and quickly and the 100,000 signatures required for UK Parliamentary recognition of these concerns was achieved and passed (https://read.cash/@smiletobefree/uk-parliamentary-anti-covid-19-vaccination-petition-passes-119000-signatures-2d778489). After this however the pace of those concerned by this issues, did not slack however and as of the November 11th 2020, the total number of signatures stood around the 158,000. Then, with the announcement that the ticket company Ticketmaster would require proof of vaccination to permit someone to buy a ticket for a concert or sporting event, this quickly changed (https://oye.news/news/freedoms/ticketmaster-no-vaccine-no-ticket/). In 72 hours 80,000 new signatures were add to the petition by very concerned UK residents calling on their government to respect and defend the sovereignty of their own bodies. Interestingly, the government’s response to justify its rejection to similar Parliamentary petition, ‘Stop Mandatory UK Covid-19 vaccines and uphold freedom of choice’ (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/322198), states: “It is already against the law for people to be required to undergo medical treatment, including vaccinations. The Coronavirus Act 2020 has not changed this.” However, as I reflected in my previous article, while this may seem reassuring, Boris Johnson’s Conservative government’s introduction of over 600 laws since May 2020 and their adoption, without any proper Parliamentary debate or scrutiny, has not fostered any real confidence in the integrity of the current UK legislature. Also, under the regulations of the current ‘second lockdown’ in England, the Right to Assemble and demonstration has lost its exemption status and has been made illegal. Also the leader of the Labour Party, Her Majesty’s Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, has called for dissent against vaccination to become a criminal offence; so very little defence of the Freedom of Speech there (https://dorseteye.com/labour-turns-on-anti-vaxxers-with-call-for-tough-measures/). The UK Government has now authorised the use of the new and experimental Pfizer vaccine and announced it’s rapid roll out. Incredibly this vaccine has been apparently developed and deemed safe in 10 months. A process that would have normally have take at least 10 years (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55145696). Along with this announcement the UK Government has also finally given a date for the debate of the concerns raised by the petition. This will take place on the 14th December and can be watches live on the UK Parliament’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/UKParliament With these two announcement that rate of those concerned by these developments has leaped again and now stands over 300,000 signatures. Will this be enough for the members of the UK Parliament to take notice of the concerns expressed by all those who have signed this petition? Only time will tell. If you are a UK citizen and are also concerned to preserve your civil liberties and right of sovereignty over your own body, you can sign the petition here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/323442 Thank you for reading this article and watch this space for further updates. Related Articles: 1. https://read.cash/@smiletobefree/sounding-your-siren-does-not-a-pandemic-make-c894c3c8 2. https://read.cash/@smiletobefree/uk-parliamentary-anti-covid-19-vaccination-petition-how-many-new-signatures-in-just-48-hours-46b26913 3. https://read.cash/@smiletobefree/uk-parliamentary-anti-covid-19-vaccination-petition-passes-119000-signatures-2d778489 4. https://read.cash/@smiletobefree/uk-parliamentary-anti-covid-19-vaccination-petition-is-now-receiving-145-new-names-an-hour-03450863 5. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/323442

@smiletobefree

UK Parliamentary Anti COVID-19 Vaccination Petition – How many new signatures in just 48 hours! A couple of months ago I posted an article about a UK Parliamentary petition calling for assurances from the UK Government that no direct or indirect restrictions would be imposed on those who refuse to take any vaccine introduced for the COVID-19 virus; and on how that this petition had quickly passed it required 100,000 signatures for UK Parliamentary recognition of these concerns (https://read.cash/@smiletobefree/uk-parliamentary-anti-covid-19-vaccination-petition-passes-119000-signatures-2d778489). This petition was original posted upon the Parliamentary Petitions website on the 4th August 2020 (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/323442) and within days achieved the 10,000 signatures needed to require a response from the UK Government. This was slow in coming and it was 36 days before the Ministry of Health and Social Security published a response. A response that failed to address any of the concerns outlined by the petition. (See; https://read.cash/@smiletobefree/uk-parliamentary-anti-covid-19-vaccination-petition-is-now-receiving-145-new-names-an-hour-03450863). The pace of those signing the petition, concerned by this issues, did not slack however and the magic 100,000 signature mark was reached in record time. Since then the number signatures has continued to rise with, as yet, no response from either the government or the UK Parliament. As of the November 11th 2020, the total number of signatures stood around the 158,000. Then, with the announcement from Ticketmaster that they would require proof of vaccination to permit a person to buy a ticket for a concert or sporting event, the picture quickly changed (https://oye.news/news/freedoms/ticketmaster-no-vaccine-no-ticket/). In 48 hours 50,000 new signatures were add to the petition and the influx has not yet abated. As of the writing of this article the total now stands 229,438. An increase of nearly 80,000 very concerned people calling on their government to respect and defend the sovereignty of their own bodies. A government response justifying its rejection of another Parliamentary petition, ‘Stop Mandatory UK Covid-19 vaccines and uphold freedom of choice’ (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/322198), states: “It is already against the law for people to be required to undergo medical treatment, including vaccinations. The Coronavirus Act 2020 has not changed this.” While this may seem reassuring, Boris Johnson’s Conservative government’s introduction of over 600 laws since May 2020 and their adoption, without any proper Parliamentary debate or scrutiny, has not fostered any real confidence in the integrity of the current UK legislature. Furthermore, under the regulations of the current ‘second lockdown’ in England the Right to Assemble and demonstration has lost its exemption status and has been made illegal. Also the leader of the Labour Party, Her Majesty’s Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, has called for dissent against vaccination to become a criminal offence; so very little defence of the Freedom of Speech there (https://dorseteye.com/labour-turns-on-anti-vaxxers-with-call-for-tough-measures/). Will the petition reach 300,000 signatures? With the continued erosion civil liberties held by the British people since the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 AD, it seems very likely. If you are a UK citizen and are also concerned to preserve your civil liberties and right of sovereignty over your own body, you can sign the petition here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/323442 Thank you for reading this article and watch this space for further updates. Related Articles: 1. https://read.cash/@smiletobefree/sounding-your-siren-does-not-a-pandemic-make-c894c3c8 2. https://read.cash/@smiletobefree/uk-parliamentary-anti-covid-19-vaccination-petition-passes-119000-signatures-2d778489 3. https://read.cash/@smiletobefree/uk-parliamentary-anti-covid-19-vaccination-petition-is-now-receiving-145-new-names-an-hour-03450863

@smiletobefree

Sounding Your Siren Does Not A Pandemic Make.... It seem a very curious thing that every ambulance on the streets these days feels the necessity to travel at high speeds with their sirens blazing.  It is almost as though they are under instructions to do so. Can this really be? Why not; anything seems possible now. With the global lockdown destroying the livelihoods of millions, suicide and domestic violence rates soaring, child hungry rising out of all proportion; and for what?  A virus that the World Health Organisation’s own figures state has a 99.6% recovery rate. So what is the justification for the censoring and arrests of doctors and health care professional for questioning state sanctioned ‘health’ guidelines, the implementation of curfews in France and Spain, the locking down once more of Wales, Italy, and others countries; travel restrictions between provinces in Spain, Italy and France and the systemic removal of civil liberties and right long enshrined in many constitutions around the world? Not a rising death rate, no; but a rising case rate.  A case rate based upon a test that detects that someone’s immune system has reacted to any infection and so maybe or maybe not the famous virus (that incidentally has yet to be isolated).  So while the number of cases continue to rise as more and more tests are carried out, the number of deaths remain static at their very low level.  This can be seen very clearly of this graph on the infection rate in Wales used to justify the oddly named Friday 23rd October 2020 ‘Fire Break’.  The number of death associated in someway with the virus is in yellow. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-wales-infection-rates-cardiff-19154808 So, perhaps the question is that if we are now living with an apparently non-lethal virus and the powers that be, at best are trying to save face and at worst are using this situation to concentrate power in the hands of the already rich and powerful; how long will the average person on the street allow themselves to be dictated to about who and what is essential in their lives? Then what will the authorities next response be?  Will the screaming sirens no longer be those of ambulances but of police cars and riot vans?  With the recent police actions at the anti-lockdown protests in London, Paris, Naples, Rome, Madrid, Berlin, Melbourne and others, perhaps we are already seen this change…… Related Articles: https://read.cash/@smiletobefree/uk-parliamentary-anti-covid-19-vaccination-petition-is-now-receiving-145-new-names-an-hour-03450863 https://read.cash/@smiletobefree/uk-parliamentary-anti-covid-19-vaccination-petition-passes-119000-signatures-2d778489

@smiletobefree

GramFree Users Need to Read This! **UPDATE:** 15/12/2020 - It is over 2 months since I requested a withdraw and it is still pending. This is site is not worth your effort and is a SCAM. Do not waste your time. ****Original Article:**** Back in March, around the start of the lockdown here in the UK, I decide to conduct an experiment with a site called ‘GramFree’ that I have read about on PublichOx. This site claims to be a no investment needed easy way of making money by doing simple daily tasks. Sounds simple and so what is the catch? Good question. On their site, GramFree does not provide any information about the project, who funds it or how it makes it’s money. There is no advertising and the GRAMs ‘earnt’ by the user were, as far as I understand it, part of the shelves crypto project of the Telegram platform that was shut down by the US authorities. So, with these questions and uncertainties abound, I sent out to discover if this was all too good to be true. At the outset I made myself one condition, namely that until I had confirmed that the site was genuine and paid out what it promised, I would not look to recruit anyone else through their referral programme. On the 2nd October 2020, a little over 6 months after I began the experiment, I reached the required 500 GRAMs withdraw threshold and activated my first withdraw. The daily value of a GRAM is post on the GramFree site and fluctuates between $1.80 and $2.20 per GRAM. This would mean that if the site paid out, I should receive around $1,000 either to my BTC wallet, my PayPal account, my Mastercard or Visa card or a number of other options. As of the writing of this article, over two weeks after initiating the withdrawal request, I have yet to receive a payment and the status of the pay out remains as ‘Pending’. If this changes the I will publish a follow up article with my referral code and invite you to have a go yourself. Hopefully in this way only one of us need to spend 6 months to see if this site is “legit or a scam” as their promotional videos pose the question to potential signups. The requirements of the site is very straightforward. To begin you will need to sign in with either your Facebook or Gmail login. In the initial setup you add some personal details, username, etc. and are then presented with a Dashboard displaying that current situation of your account. Each day there are a series of ‘task’ that will earn GRAMs; the signing of 5 day Smart Contracts (2 GRAMs), the watching of 5 videos (0.1 GRAMs each video) and 5 hourly Free Roll contest (0.1 GRAMs). **Smart Contracts** Within the Smart Contract section each day there is a new smart contract to undertake. They come in two forms; a ‘Safe’ contract that, upon signing after 5 days carries a 1 GRAM reward and will not incur a penalty if is not renewed daily or a ‘Risky’ contract that has a 2 GRAM reward upon signing but has a 4 GRAM penalty if it is not renewed each day. The type of contract you choose if set when the contract is first taken through the clicking of a button between ‘Safe’ and ‘Risky’. The contracts are reset at the same time each day. Here in the UK this is at 1am but it will vary depending where in the world you are based. The contract can been renewed at any time during that 24 hour window but the contract will lapse or the penalty will occur, depending on the type of contract, once this time has passed. WARNING: It is worth double checking that all the contracts has been confirmed as my experience was that after I had passed 300 GRAMs certain functions would reset. For this reason it is would clicking back to the Dashboard and then back to the Smart Contract page to confirm that all is as it should be. **Watch 5 Videos a Day** The next daily task is to watch 5 videos per day. These are apparently user made video posted on YouTube and then embedded upon the GramFree site, where they would explain how the site works and confirming that it was ‘legit’ and not a ‘scam’. All the videos are more or less the same but to receive the 0.1 GRAM reward for watching them, each has to be allow to run through for one minute without leaving to page. If you do then the counter will stop until you return to it once again. Normally I would mute the playback and do something else while the video ran. Each day 5 new videos would be posted but these could be watched at any time as there is no penalty for not watching them. **Free Roll** The ‘Free Roll’ feature provides the opportunity to win an amount of GRAMs by clicking a button to choose a number from 1 to 1000. Again there is an option to choose between a safe and risky roll. With the safe roll it is possible to win between 0.1 and 100 GRAMs, while with the risky roll it is possible to win 1000 GRAMs. However, with the risky roll not all the numbers are winning numbers. Although there is a chance of a higher prize with the risky roll, if you are unlucky with the roll then there is a penalty of 10 GRAMs. WARNING: Again after passing the 300 GRAM mark, I discovered the default position for the Free Roll would be set to Risky and not the usual Safe option. Again it is worthwhile checking this before rolling and I fell for this 4 time because I was not paying attention. **Other Features** There is also a Lottery feature that allow you for purchase lottery tickets with you GRAMs and stand a chance of a prize. I never used this feature and so can not say too much about it. Also there is the Referral feature that allows you to ‘earn’ GRAMs by inviting others to the platform. As I previously mentioned, I have not done this and I wanted to confirm that this is a genuine project before inviting other to take part and wasting their time. Again, at the time of writing this article, my requested withdraw has yet to be honoured. If it is paid then I will edit this article to add my referral code and ask that you make use of this should you wish to try the platform for yourself. GRAMs are also earned through visiting the site undertaking the activities. By completing these activities you will also be gaining point that will increase your level each time 100 points is reached. Each new level gained rewards 3 GRAMs. There are two other things to look out for. Firstly, the site sometimes become inoperative and an error page will be displayed. In my experience this is always a temporary situation and can be resolved by refreshing the browser window of using the back step in the browser. Also, and particularly I found as you near the 500 GRAM withdraw threshold, you will receive a screen requiring you to ‘Prove You Are Human’. This is the standard tick box and choose 3 image type of affair but it can become irritating. **Conclusion** So presently the jury is still out regarding GramFree. It remains to be seen of this is a genuine paying site or just another scam. One thing to note is that it is often commented that it takes amount 3 to 4 months to reach the 500 GRAM withdrawal threshold. Now this maybe true if you recruit enough referrals, however in my experience, without any referrals to took over 6 months. Thank you for reading this article and if you are interested in discovering what happens then please Follow me and watch this space…… UPDATE: 15/12/2020 - It is over 2 months since I requested a withdraw and it is still pending. This is site is not worth your effort and is a SCAM. Do not waste your time.

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@smiletobefree

UK Parliamentary Anti COVID-19 Vaccination Petition Is Now Receiving 145 New Names an Hour If you saw my article posted on the 13th September 2020, then you will know that a UK Parliamentary Anti COVID-19 Vaccination Petition Has Passed 119,000 Signatures. https://www.publish0x.com/smiletobefree/uk-parliamentary-anti-covid-19-vaccination-petition-passes-1-xrojkpy Since then things have taken on a new pace and it seem right to publish a new update on how things now stand. During the intervening 48 hours the UK's Ministry of Health and Social Security has issued the required response to the petition as it had passed the 10,000 signature threshold.  The UK government's response was slow in coming, take 36 day to be issues and clarified little in regard to the concerns raised by the petition. This noncommittal response probably should not come as any surprise and almost certain should not be relied upon, as the present UK administration, under Prime Minster Boris Johnson, has a strong track record of stating one thing only to do the opposite a short time later.  A case in point being the current UK lockdown which was stated as unlikely and unnecessary but then introduced, almost without warning, 3 days later. The lack of comfort and reassurance gained from this official response may be partly responsible for the the acceleration in the number of people now signing this petition.  When writing the previous article the number of signatories stood at 119,000.  This has now leaped by more than 7,000 name and is currently increasing at the rate of 145 new signatures per hour. While some argue that in proportion to the UK's whole population this is still a low ratio, it is worth noting that since its first publication on the 4th August, it has received no promotion from any other source apart from the organic sharing of it link amongst concerned citizens. Also a point that has sometime been made in opposite to the concerns raised by the petition, is that those signing it are against a vaccine for COVID-19.  Although this may be the position of many signing the petition, this is not the concern highlighted by it.  The petition calls for the rights of those who chose not to receive any vaccine to be respected and for them not to suffer any direct or indirect limitation of their liberties because of this.  This is a civil and human rights issue and not a health one. The UK Government's full response outline the benefits of vaccination to society and its mentions a number of historical examples of vaccine contributing the the improvement of the general health of humanity.  Depending upon ones perspective one may or may not agree with these statements, however they again do not address the underlying concerns of the petition.  Also it would not be unreasonable to suggest that if the majority of the UK population choose to receive a COVID-19 vaccine then, according to the UK Governments own argument, those who choose to not to receive it pose no threat to anyone but themselves.   Surely as intelligent and mature individuals, in this case we all should be allowed to make the same judgement to our personal risk as we do if we choose to smoke a cigarette, parachute out of a plane, hunting with a gun, etc.  All activities that have their inherit risk and dangers but are as of yet not illegal.  The last one in fact, 'hunting with a gun', has received special dispensation from the UK Government to allow it to continue no matter many people participate.  This despite the limitation that social gathering can not involve more than 6 people placed upon the general population - now officially know as the 'Rule of 6". At the time of writing, the current total for this petition stands at 127,226 with the UK Parliament still to respond as to whether it will debate these concerns. If you are a UK citizen and are also concerned to preserve your civil liberties and right of sovereignty over your own body, you can sign the petition here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/323442 Thank you for reading this article and watch this space for further updates. Also if you have a few moments then is a very interest video to watch: https://lbry.tv/@Marine1063:0/Say-NO-to-Mandates,-Unsafe-Vaccines-and-Tyranny:b

@smiletobefree

UK Parliamentary Anti COVID-19 Vaccination Petition Passes 119,000 Signatures "If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so." - Thomas Jefferson; 3rd President of the United States. Posted on 4th August 2020, an anti COVID-19 vaccination petition, posted on the UK Parliamentary website petition.parliament.uk, has recently passed the 100,000 signatures needed to require the House of Commons to consider debating its concerns.  Namely, that those refusing to be vaccination, under the current Corona restriction in the UK, should not be penalised in any direct or indirect way for not doing so. https://petition.parliament.uk/ At the time of writing, 15 days after the 100,000 signature threshold was passed, the total number of signees stands at over 119,000 and is rises at more that 1000 names a day.  The total is now currently increasing at approximately 1 new signature per minute. With the passing of the 100,000 signature mark, the UK Parliament is require to consider the petition.  It is important to note that this milestone does not mean that Parliament is bound to act upon its proposal or agree with it.  It actually does not even have to debate it.  However, the growing level of support for the motion outlined in the petition, as well as the speed at which that support is now gathering pace, demonstrates the strength of feeling amongst UK residents.  The believe that there is a serious risk of the UK government attempting to violate the individual sovereignty of their own bodies. With recent legislation being passed allowing UK council to demolish business premises, factories, offices or even private homes on health grounds and along with the proposed threat of a 10pm to 5am curfew in England; the possibility of state imposed medical interventions, either directly or indirectly, to many UK citizen no longer seems to be the stuff of George Orwell's 1984, sci-fi movies or nightmares. It is incredible to think that in a seemingly democratic country, with an apparently 'free press', the anti-lockdown protest that took place in London's Trafalgar Square two weeks ago (29th August 2020) and attended by over 33,000 people, received no coverage on any of the mainstream broadcasting channels such as the BBC News, Sky News, etc.  Most people in the British Isles do not even know that the protest even took place; let alone the 1.3 million person march that took place in Germany the week before; or of the thousands who took part in demonstrations in countries like Spain, Italy, Ireland, South Korea and France to name a few. https://www.youtube.com/embed/IizPX4YZGFY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IizPX4YZGFY (Full stream of the Trafalgar Square demonstration can be found here;  https://lbry.tv/@TruthVault:0/'Unite-for-Freedom'-protest-in-London--STREAMED-LIVE-:a) Whether or not one believes in the deadliness of the Corona virus, never before in human history, has individual citizens of a free nation lose the right to decide what can and can not be put into their own body.  With the World Health Organisation's own statistics showing a 99.6% recovery rate for this virus and more people are dying due to suicide and other consequences of the imposed lockdown; this current situation does not seem to justify any proposal to remove this Human Right as recognised by the UNESCO: Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (19th October 2005); in particular Article 3, Article 5 and Article 6;  http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=31058&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html If you are a UK resident and agree with the proposal of the petition then you will be able to add your name here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/323442  Thank you for reading this article and if you are also concerned by what seems to happening, under the pretence of protect us, please do your own research and share what you find with those you care for. All the best, P.S. Also if you have a few moments then is a very interest video to watch: https://lbry.tv/@Marine1063:0/Say-NO-to-Mandates,-Unsafe-Vaccines-and-Tyranny:b

@smiletobefree

#CBFF2021 - Early Bird Submissions Close 31st August The clock is running and the countdown to next May's 10th Carmarthen Bay Film Festival has begun! #CBFF2021 Early Bird Submissions close on the 31st August. https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/cbff2021?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZUs6C-zQ9hKbQPovWg2eMba8PN-bnGEYi04oyY6x3EklpuJXGJFHFFsAzsk5bjm-OUkZ1A3Ls9s1HOFhlDO6mAY02iKwgcPSa8gPg_GY972xCpCks5uH6VyDl9kQj5nfckcTP5M6ivKcdojGBJiOLIgATnNjF3LICKr5eNQM-Zh9Q This means that to submit you feature film is presently $50 (Film Freeway Gold Members $40); and all other Short Film categories $35 (Gold Members $25), with the exception of the Rising Star (Under 21) category which is $20 (Gold Members $15). So calling all indie film-makers; come be a part of our of 10th Anniversary festival and submit your film here: https://filmfreeway.com/CarmarthenBayFilmFestival We are looking forward to welcoming many, many old friends and new, from all around the world, next May 17-20 at the Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, Wales https://www.facebook.com/FfwrnesLlanelli/ https://www.facebook.com/visitwales/ Thank you all the film-makers and the fans for making Carmarthen Bay Film Festival Wales's Premiere Film Festival........... #ExcellenceShouldBeSeenOnScreen https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/excellenceshouldbeseenonscreen?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZUs6C-zQ9hKbQPovWg2eMba8PN-bnGEYi04oyY6x3EklpuJXGJFHFFsAzsk5bjm-OUkZ1A3Ls9s1HOFhlDO6mAY02iKwgcPSa8gPg_GY972xCpCks5uH6VyDl9kQj5nfckcTP5M6ivKcdojGBJiOLIgATnNjF3LICKr5eNQM-Zh9Q CBFF is a BAFTA Cymru Qualifying Festival and happy to be a member of Film Hub Wales & the British Arts Festivals Association https://www.facebook.com/FilmHubWales/ https://www.facebook.com/BritArtsFests/

@smiletobefree

Dolaucolthi Gold Mines: The Mystery of Upper Roman Adit In the third of a series of short articles and accompanying mobile documentaries, I hope to introduce you all to some of the historical facts and historical fictions, interwoven into the hidden gem that is the Dolaucothi Gold Mines. Since 1941 the Dolaucothi Gold Mines and the Estate in which they stand, have been into the care of the National Trust. These nestled hidden in the beautiful and evocative landscape of South West Wales near the tiny village of Pumpsaint (Five Saints). Famously known as Britain’s only Roman gold mine, archaeological evidence has shown that the Romans extensively worked the Dolaucothi site and they were able to extract between 50 to 200 tonnes of gold during their time there. One of the most fascinating features of the ancient mine workings is the passage know as Upper Roman Adit. This passageway is remarkable as it is self draining and has ‘dressed’ walls that have been craved out of solid rock using not metal tools. The question and mystery arises as to why so much effort would have been made if those who preparing this tunnel were only interested in extracting gold for the site? Although the passageway has been named Upper Roman Adit, there is no archaeological to support that assumption that it was excavated by the Romans. Whilst other evidence, found during archaeological digs carried out in other areas of the Dolaucothi site during the 1970s, has shown it was occupied and worked as far back as 5000 years ago. Could Upper Roman Adit have in fact been an important ritual location for the ancient Druidic Celtic people who lived and prospered in this region of Wales prior to the arrive of the Romans in 70AD? Another of Dolaucothi’s wonderful and magical mysteries. Enjoy and find out more by watch this short film about Upper Roman Adit with Dolaucothi’s expert and the Head of the Excavations between 1989 and 1999; Professor Barry Burnham. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynJxbfV7lI8 Stay tuned for more history and mystery from the fascinating and magical Dolaucothi Gold Mines. Read the other parts of this series; Dolaucothi Gold Mines: Britain's Only Known Roman Gold Mine, here: https://www.publish0x.com/smiletobefree/dolaucolthi-gold-mines-britain-s-only-known-roman-gold-mine-xyvqljn Dolaucothi Gold Mines: An Edwardian Fool's Gold Adventure, here: https://www.publish0x.com/smiletobefree/dolaucolthi-gold-mines-an-edwardian-fool-s-gold-adventure-xyvwdeo And stay tuned for more history and mystery from the fascinating and magical Dolaucothi Gold Mines. Also enjoy the slapstick modern silent movie set in and around the Dolaucothi Gold Mines: Fool's Gold: A Dolaucothi Love Story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8foCPYjXd68 Resources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolaucothi_Gold_Mines https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dolaucothi-gold-mines/features/explore-the-mine-yard

@smiletobefree

Dolaucolthi Gold Mines: An Edwardian Fool’s Gold Adventure - A Mobile Documentary Series This is the second of a series of short articles and accompanying mobile documentaries, in which I hope to introduce some of the historical facts and historical fictions, interwoven into the hidden gem that is the Dolaucothi Gold Mines. Now in the care of the National Trust, Dolaucothi stands in the beautiful and evocative landscape of South West Wales near the tiny village of Pumpsaint (Five Saints). Archaeological evidence has discovered that the Romans extensively worked the Dolaucothi site and they were able to extract between 50 to 200 tonnes of gold during the 70 years they remained there. After the Romans left the British Isles, Dolaucothi Mines remained unworked for nearly 1700 years. From 1797, with the mines now part of the Dolaucothi Estate and belonging to the Johnes family, three further attempts were made to extract gold but with little success. The final attempt was made in 1937 and over the next year 1000 ounces (28kg) of gold was recovered however, in reality the majority of the gold that had been at Dolaucothi had been removed by the Romans many centuries earlier. With rising costs and a diminishing return on their investment, Britain’s only known Roman gold mine closed for good. Here is a link to a short film introducing a little more about the carbide safety lamps used by the miners in the 1930s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqZGP6HtlKI Stay tuned for more history and mystery from the fascinating and magical Dolaucothi Gold Mines. Read the other parts of this series; Dolaucothi Gold Mines: Britain's Only Known Roman Gold Mine, here: https://www.publish0x.com/smiletobefree/dolaucolthi-gold-mines-britain-s-only-known-roman-gold-mine-xyvqljn Dolaucothi Gold Mines: The Mystery of Upper Roman Adit: https://read.cash/@smiletobefree/dolaucolthi-gold-mines-the-mystery-of-upper-roman-adit-f537c932 And stay tuned for more history and mystery from the fascinating and magical Dolaucothi Gold Mines. Also enjoy the slapstick modern silent movie set in and around the Dolaucothi Gold Mines: Fool's Gold: A Dolaucothi Love Story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8foCPYjXd68

@smiletobefree

Dolaucothi: Britain’s Only Known Roman Gold Mine - A Mobile Documentary Series Over a series of short articles and short mobile documentaries, I hope to introduce you to some of the magic and mystery, history fact and history fiction that is woven into the story of wonderful and hidden gem that is Dolaucothi. Now in the care of the National Trust, the Dolaucothi Gold Mine stands in the beautiful and evocative landscape of South West Wales and although it is best known as Britain’s only known Roman gold mine, its origins are much older. Archaeological evidence has discovered that although the Romans extensively worked the Dolaucothi site, it was utilised prior to their occupation of Britain, far back into the Neolithic history of the area. With the arrival of the Roman Legions, so came their technological understanding and experience of mining and it is reckoned that over their 70 years working the site, they were able to extract between 50 to 200 tonnes of gold. This was mainly achieved through open cast mining with rock and soil washed away using an elaborate system of surface water courses transporting millions of litres of water to be stored in great ‘tanks’ (manmade ground basins), ready to be released on demand. However, the Romans also undertook deep mining operations at Dolaucothi site and miners who worked the site in the 1930s, discovered tools and the remains of a Roman water wheel when they broke through into a cathedral-sized cavern 30 meters below the surface. Although they did not have the knowledge of how to preserve the 2000-year-old wooden artefacts, it was their discovery and recognition that has lead to Dolaucothi being acknowledged as Britain’s only known Roman Gold Mine. Here is a link to a short film introducing a little more about the famous Dolaucothi Roman Water Wheel. https://youtu.be/INgrkb-gjr8 Stay tuned for more from the fascinating and magical Dolaucothi Gold Mines. Read the other parts of this series; Dolaucolthi Gold Mines: An Edwardian Fool’s Gold Adventure, here: https://www.publish0x.com/smiletobefree/dolaucolthi-gold-mines-britain-s-only-known-roman-gold-mine-xyvqljn Dolaucothi Gold Mines: The Mystery of Upper Roman Adit: https://read.cash/@smiletobefree/dolaucolthi-gold-mines-the-mystery-of-upper-roman-adit-f537c932 And stay tuned for more history and mystery from the fascinating and magical Dolaucothi Gold Mines. Also enjoy the slapstick modern silent movie set in and around the Dolaucothi Gold Mines: Fool's Gold: A Dolaucothi Love Story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8foCPYjXd68

@smiletobefree

I have just seen the latest stats and the read,cash community now stands at over 8000 members and I am sure there are some film makers amongst us. And, now that almost everyone has a mobile phone and access to platforms like YouTube, there are no more barriers for any of us to express our cinematic creativity. So here's a shout out to all those interested in indie film-making and grassroots cinema; I have set up the Film Making(31fe) community; please pop by and check it out. It will be great to see you there; read your posts and share experiences!

@smiletobefree

CBFF: Wales Premier Film Festival On Friday 26th June the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival (CBFF) streamed the announcing the this year's Award Winners via Facebook. Now in it 9th year the festival has grown from very humble beginning when it received only 30 entries in its first year to this year's record of over 1,100 films from more than 70 countries. With all the festival's judges all drawn from the creative industries CBFF has gained a reputation for supporting grassroots indie film both in its home country of Wales as well as worldwide. It 16 categories attract both short films and features, fiction films and documentaries, animations, poetic and experimental and; films for the newly added drone and smart phone categories. This year has even seen the submission of films featuring movies stars such as Timothy Spall, Susan Sarandon, Mari Nishio and Anna Friel. Normally over 100 films are screened during the festival, as well as other special events Q&As and of course the Awards Ceremony; all taking place at the wonderful Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, South Wales. Unfortunately this year, due to the Covid Crisis, none of this has been possible. So what was to be done? As a BAFTA Cymru and IMDb qualifying festival it was important that the show must go on and the CBFF team has worked tirelessly to ensure that the Awards Nominations were announced and streamed via the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival Facebook page on the May 25th and received over 4ooo views. The #CBFF2020 Award Winners were then announced on Friday, 26th June: The winners were: Thank you for reading about Carmarthen Bay Film Festival and helping to support the Future of Indie Film Making. https://www.facebook.com/carmarthenbayfilmfestival/ Simon - CBFF Festival Director The Carmarthen Bay Film Festival - Wales Premier Film Festival

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@smiletobefree

A Call to Film Makers & Everyone Interested in Making Movies A little while ago I posted an article about a film I made on my iPhone that went on to win 8 awards around the world , qualify for the BAFTA Cymru Awards in the UK and is now listed on the IMDb Movie Database. The response has been great and for those who watched 'Fool's Gold: a Dolaucothi Love Story', thank you and I hope you enjoyed it. However, the purpose of this article is not to promote my film but to invitation other film makers and those interested in making films, to join me in the read.cash Community Film Making (31fe) I set up to post it in. https://read.cash/c/film-making-31fe https://read.cash/c/film-making-31fe So if that is you then please come and post some articles about your work and comment on the articles already there. Today lots of us have the technology to shoot and edit films with our phones and laptops, and read.cash seems a great place to help people to see our work. So let's tell our stories and invite the world to see them. Of course it is important that the articles in this community, and the films that they are connected to, are sensitive to the view and values of other members that may differ for our own and should not be a place to promote pornography, racism, etc. There are plenty of other places for that if that is your thing I look forward to meeting you here and for those of you who are interested in my film the article about with the links to see it are here; https://read.cash/@smiletobefree/modern-silent-movies-fools-gold-a-dolaucothi-love-story-379a40f3 Thank you and all the best,

@smiletobefree

Philately: The Korea Stamp Society; a Phoenix from the Ashes In this digital age of computers, smart phones and tablets, we all need a break from our screens once in a while. In search of this change many of us seem to be returning to the traditional hobbies and pastimes of a simpler age.  Comics, vintage role playing game, star wars figures, trading cards have become increasingly fill the lists of established auction house where once they were merely the preserve of sites like ebay.   The pursuit of profit perhaps, but the pursuit of pleasure also and that is for sure. This has proved equally true for my particular counterweigh on the scales of 'work life balance'; stamp collecting. To illustrate this I would like to share with you the a little about the recent history of the Korea Stamp Society (KSS). The KSS was established in 1952 and presently made up of around 200 members worldwide, it is a small but active society interested in all things connect to Korean philately. However, this was not always the case and for years membership numbers had been dwindling until 2 years ago only 20 members remain and they were about to close the doors for good.  Instead a decision was made to have one final throw of the dice and thanks to the energy and determination of those hardy few, a new website was created, Facebook and Twitter pages added and the KSS journal, *Korean Philately, was* published for the first time in seven years. https://www.blurb.com/b/9911566-korean-philately-vol-54-no-1-q1-2020 https://www.blurb.com/b/9990180-korean-philately-vol-56-no-2-q2-2020 With new members joining every week this remarkable efforts has paid off and the KSS can once more look confidently to the future. Membership to the KSS is free so if you collect stamps, once had a stamp collection, or if you enjoy a good read about history, geography and design, come and have a look for yourself. All articles that you will find on the website are written entirely by the KSS's members, which now includes some of the leading authorities, not merely in Korean philately, but of the stamp-collecting community worldwide.  All the links you need are below. Thank you for reading and all the best, Simon - KSS Chair 202o Resources https://koreastampsociety.org/ https://www.facebook.com/KoreaStampSociety https://twitter.com/KoreaStampSoc https://www.instagram.com/koreastampsoc/

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Modern Silent Movies: Fool's Gold - a Dolaucothi Love Story What started out as a bit of fun has gone on to have a life of it own winning 8 international awards, gained a IMDb listing and qualified for the 2017 BAFTA Cymru awards.  ***'Fool's Gold - a Dolaucothi Love Story'*** is 8 minute silent short movie was shot entirely on an iPhone 6s, it was filmed over a day and a half with the support of a great cast of work colleagues from the National Trust's Dolaucothi Gold Mine (Britain's only known Roman Gold Mine), doubling as crew.  The DVD cover notes reads: *"Thought to have been lost, this forgotten treasure from the golden age of Welsh silent cinema was recently discovered in a box of broken mine lamps by Dolaucothi Gold Mines’ archivist and occasional tour guide ‘Seismic Sam’.* *Made in 1927 and inspired by real events, as well as an outrageous moustache, Fool’s Gold tells the timeless tale of boy meets girl in a dimly lite mine passage, amidst the backdrop of a bitter struggle for the control of the Dolaucothi Gold Mines and the keys to the Johnes’ family fortune."* *- Ned Lyons* Mobile phone technology has only become better since then and so hopefully this simple film can be an inspiration for anybody wanting to make movies to pick up their phones, go out there and have a go. We have a great time making ***'Fool's Gold - a Dolaucothi Love Story'*** and hope that you enjoy it too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8foCPYjXd68 **Watch on LBRY** https://lbry.tv/@SmileToBeFree:7/Fool's-Gold---The-Movie_v2:2 **Watch on YouTube** https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEqfZBcVjXMTYFPgAK9MJqg **SmileToBeFree Digital Facebook Page** https://www.facebook.com/SmileToBeFreeDigital/ **Dolaucothi Gold Mines (Wales)** https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dolaucothi-gold-mines [sponsors]